General Edward Porter Alexander from Augusta Georgia is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Augusta along with seven other Generals . Alexander Hall at Fort Gordon, GA is name after B/Gen E Porter Alexander .Gen Alexander learn to use the Wig --wag flag signal from US Gen Myers(Know as Father of the US Signal Corp ) . Gen Alexander was the first to use signal flags in combat when he was a Capt. at Mananas (Bull Run )

Having surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia, General Lee rode back toward his headquarters tent through a cool and dark Palm Sunday evening. The sun behind the clouds had slanted near the horizon; sunset in Richmond that night came at 6:24. A chaplain present with the army described the weather: "The morning had been bright and fair. By noon dark and gloomy clouds had gathered over the whole face of the sky."

From a distance of a half-mile, General Edward Porter Alexander saw Lee coming out of the village on his familiar gray "Traveller" at about 4:30 p.m. Lieutenant Colonel Charles Marshall, Lee's reliable 34-year-old aide, rode beside his chief. "A strong desire seized me," Alexander wrote, "to have the men do something, to indicate to the general that our affection for him was even deeper than in the days of greatest victory and prosperity."

Under orders from Alexander and his subordinate officers, artillerymen hurried to the roadside and formed into line. Alexander instructed them "to uncover their heads, but in silence," as Lee passed.

The hastily formed plan for a dignified, if emotional, tribute to the surrendered army's chieftain fell apart at once. Infantry posted nearby swarmed around the artillerists and as Lee drew nigh, "someone started to cheer, and then, of course, all joined in." When he could be heard, the general "told the men in a few words that he had done his best for them & advised them to go home & become as good citizens as they had been soldiers."

During General Lee's short, simple remarks, "a wave of emotion seemed to strike the crowd & a great many men were weeping." Soldiers pressed close to touch the general or his mount, "to try & express in some way," General Alexander wrote, "the feelings which shook every heart." A South Carolina surgeon who had served under Lee for most of the war described the moment in a contemporary letter to his wife: "I heard some of our men yelling, and saw General Lee and his staff riding towards us, and as he stopped the men crowded around him to shake his hand and every man was shedding tears." Another observer used comparable language: "The men flocked round General Lee and met him with shouts and tears."

A North Carolinian standing "on the road side nearest the Court House" left a similarly vivid description of the event: "As he approached we could see the reins hanging loose on his horse's neck and his head was sunk on his breast. As the men began to cheer, he raised his head and hat in hand passed by, his face flushed and his eyes ablaze."

Private John Mathews Brown had been attending Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, when war erupted. In March 1862, two weeks after his seventeenth birthday, he enlisted in the Rockbridge Artillery. Brown served steadily with that renowned battery, except when absent sick and while recovering from a wound he suffered at Malvern Hill.

At Appomattox on the evening of April 9, 1865, Brown went to the edge of the road when he heard a commotion, and saw Lee riding through a dense crowd of soldiers. The general stopped in the midst of the throng and spoke briefly, out of Brown's hearing. Someone later told the Rockbridge gunner that Lee had admonished the men that "the bravest and best thing you can do is to go to that wife who is waiting anxiously for you." Then, "as he approached where I stood," Brown recalled, "every head was bared.General Lee's eyes were full of tears, as he turned his face from side to side and looked on the bowed heads of his men." The next morning, Colonel Marshall found some privacy in General Lee's ambulance, with an orderly posted to deflect interruptions, and drafted in pencil one of the most famous documents in American military history. General Orders No. 9, signed by Lee, began: "After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources."

Miami-Dade cop Ralph Mata, the feds said Tuesday, protected
cocaine smugglers, bought them firearms, doled out sensitive law
enforcement intelligence and even concocted a detailed plot to murder
rivals.

But Mata, 45, is no low-ranking uniformed patrolman – he
is a lieutenant with internal affairs, tasked with rooting out
corruption within his own department.

Federal authorities arrested
Mata in Miami Gardens on Tuesday, stunning fellow officers, who
described the longtime policeman as a straight-laced, low-key supervisor
who has been with Miami-Dade’s Professional Compliance Bureau since
March 2010.

If the US State Department’s Victoria Nuland had not said “Fuck the
EU,” few outsiders at the time would have heard of Ambassador Geoffrey
Pyatt, the man on the other end of her famously bugged telephone call.
But now Washington’s man in Kiev is gaining fame as the face of the
CIA-style “destabilization campaign” that brought down Ukraine’s
monumentally corrupt but legitimately elected President Viktor
Yanukovych.

Ray McGovern, who worked for 27 years as an intelligence analyst for the agency, mocks -

“Geoffrey Pyatt is one of these State Department
high officials who does what he’s told and fancies himself as a kind of
a CIA operator.

He tells Democracy Now that -

It used to be the CIA doing these things. I know that for a fact.“

Now it’s the State Department, with its coat-and-tie diplomats,
twitter and facebook accounts, and a trick bag of goodies to build
support for American policy.

The House Ways and Means Committee has voted to 23-14 along party
lines to refer former head of tax exempt groups at the IRS Lois Lerner
to the Justice Department for prosecution. Although the details about
exactly what charges will be have not yet been released, lawmakers are
arguing Lerner has not been truthful with Congress or the IRS inspector
general and leaked confidential tax information.

Last time a referral like this happened, it was to Major League
Baseball player Roger Clemens, who was pursued by the Department of
Justice for lying to Congress but was exonerated in court.

This is a test for the Department of Justice and the Obama
administration. What's more important?

Baseball and steroids? Or the
most powerful federal agency abusing its power to target innocent
conservative groups?

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) drew attention today after getting into a heated back and forth with Attorney General Eric Holder during a House Judicial Committee hearing. At the same hearing, Gohmert’s fellow Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold apparently decided he did not even want to ask Holder any questions, suggesting he belongs in jail.

In lieu of questioning Holder, Farenthold delivered the following statement:

“I’m committed to maintaining the Constitutional balance
of power and the authority that this legislative branch has, and I just
don’t think it’s appropriate that Mr. Holder be here. If an American
citizen had not complied with one of the Justice Department’s subpoenas,
they would be in jail and not sitting here in front of me, testifying.”

A 16-year-old was today arrested and charged over the murder of Nathan Trapuzzano, the newlywed who was shot dead as he took a morning walk.

Simeon Adams, known by the nickname ‘Red’, is alleged to have confessed to a friend that he shot Nathan once in the stomach – after the newlywed, who was expecting his first child, reached down to his shoes as Adams made him strip during the robbery.

On
Tuesday, Rep. Louie Gohmert had a heated discussion with Attorney
General Eric “Stonewall” Holder about the latter’s astonishing refusal
to hand over documents pertaining to a variety of scandals, notably
including the Obama Administration’s deadly gunrunning program,
Operation Fast and Furious. There is no way to defend what Holder has
done – he’s a political operative sitting on a mountain of documents
that our representatives in Congress have every right to see – so Holder
didn’t even try. He just got very, very angry that Congress keeps
badgering him about it.

When Gohmert brought up the historic contempt citation voted against him by the House in 2012, Holder went ballistic.

“I realize that contempt is not a big deal to our Attorney General,”
Gohmert prodded, “but it is important that we have proper oversight.”

“You don’t want to go there, buddy!” Holder snarled in response.
”You don’t want to go there, OK? You should not assume that uh that is
not a big deal to me. I think it was inappropriate, I think it was
unjust, but never think that it was not a big deal to me. Don’t ever
think that.”

Gohmert, of course, is entirely and objectively correct. The contempt
of Congress citation is a “big deal” to Attorney General Holder only
insofar as it offends his vanity.

The complainants charge that the investigation is nothing more than a
partisan witch hunt bent on punishing Republican Gov. Scott Walker and
his allies for conservatives’ political successes, such as public-sector
collective-bargaining reform, despised by the left. More so, the
investigation, featuring what have been described as “paramilitary-style
predawn raids” on the homes and properties of conservatives, has
deprived the targets of their fundamental constitutional rights,
particularly abridging the First, Fourth and 14th amendments.

The guest speaker was an expert on guns and self-defense law,
but his Twitter feed has raised some eyebrows because of comments he
made about Trayvon Martin.

For his part, Andrew Branca says he
is not interested in the broader issue of how race plays into the
justice system. He just wants to talk about the law. Yet, it is his
Twitter account that had some questioning why he was invited to
Campbell.

"That George Zimmerman got out of the car contrary to police instructions, that's not true," Branca said.

Branca is a Massachusetts lawyer traveling the nation by motorcycle -- a one-man lecture tour on guns and self-defense law.

His strong opinions have been in hot demand since Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering Martin.
"I
decided what people really needed to know was the rules up front to
avoid getting in trouble in the first place," Branca said.

Yearly post

A quarter of a century has passed since General Lee surrendered the last hope of the Confederacy at Appomattox Court House.

For
more than a year prior to that time, he had, with matchless skill,
contended against vastly superior numbers and military resources, and
successfully held at bay the grandest army ever marshaled on American
soil. In the annals of American history, the name of this village will
be preserved side-by-side with Yorktown, New Orleans and Mexico.

A
private soldier, though a living witness, cannot describe a battle,
much less a campaign. The field of observation to him is circumscribed
and limited. But as I went with my companions to the last firing line, I
have some vivid recollections of the event and I will relate my
experiences and observations as a member of Company C, 53rd NC Regiment
at Appomattox.

Before reaching Appomattox on the memorable
retreat of our army from Petersburg, the half starved division of
General Bryan Grimes, of which I belonged, was halted after dark for a
short rest, and some of the *sharpshooters
in the skirmish line, commanded by my brother, Lieutenant George T.
Leach, also of Company C in the 53rd NC Regiment, collected and drove to
our bivouac two or three cows with the intent of butchering them,
believing, as they certainly had reason to believe, that the poor cattle
would soon fall into the merciless hands of our pursuers.

Major General Bryan Grimes

Reaching
our stopping place, for we had no encampment there, Lieutenant Leach
sent to headquarters to get permission to butcher the cows for his Corps
of Sharpshooters, stating that his men were suffering from food. They
had been constantly on the flanks and in the rear of the retreating army
since the evacuation, marching, counter marching, retreating and
fighting without food or rest. General Grimes peremptorily refused to
allow the cattle to be killed, because to allow it would violate one of
Lee's well-established rules prohibiting plundering at any cost.

He
ordered the cows to be returned to the field from which they were
driven, a mile or two back. The order was instantly executed as far as
possible - the cattle were driven within range of the federal pickets
and turned over to our pursuers. We marched on with empty stomachs and
continued to hold the front line in an attempt to open the way for the
retreat of the Army. However, unknown to General Grimes, General Gordon,
the memorable right eye and at that time the right arm of Lee and in
immediate command of all the forces there, had discovered that we were
"flanked by 10,000 shotted guns and by 10,000 fronted."

l do not
believe that General Lee could have put into battle that day more than
eight or 10,000 men, hence it would have been cruel slaughter to have
continued the war at that point one moment longer as we would have been
forced to assume that of the aggressor against 50,000 well armed and
well-fed veterans of Grant's Army who had lapped our feeble forces in
front and upon both flanks. In order to continue the retreat and
overcome the enemy would have been a military impossibility as well as a
ridiculous and monstrous proposition in view of the worn-out condition
of our soldiers who, though, were still willing to give battle with
vigor and determination.

The actions of those engaged at
Appomattox was but a skirmish preliminary to surrender and I have little
doubt that General Grant and General Sheridan had planned to bring
about the surrender of Lee or destroy his Army at that point. They
accomplished their purpose with exceedingly small loss to those engaged
under Lee.

Of those who participated in or were present at the
McLean House at the time the terms of surrender were concluded, there
are few who now live. General Lee had with him only one officer, Colonel
Marshall, while General Grant was accompanied by a number of officers.
The officers there present fairly represented in proportion the number
of privates upon either side that could have been put into battle.

We
continued marching, counter-marching and skirmishing through the
greater part of the night of April 8th and 9th. Then at sunrise we were
deployed on a road and rail fence just beyond and in sight of the Court
House. I do not recall the sight of a single dead Confederate that day
though we drove some Union sharpshooters through the woods to the
southwest where they made a stand on the edge of the woods and a few of
them were killed and left upon the field.

Sheridan had placed
some six-pound field guns in the woods in our front. They were keeping
up a rapid fire when we advanced to their capture. Before we had gone
half the distance, the guns were surrendered to a flanking party, and
pretty soon were brought galloping across the field.

We escorted
them to a point near the Court House and continued to advance to the
west. We had gone less than a mile when the flag of truce was sent out
and the firing ceased; this was no regular battle, though good men were
killed and wounded in the skirmish. I think I saw the last gun fired
that day. As we returned through the village, I saw some artillerymen
prepare a gun for action. They opened fire upon a column of the enemy
who were advancing from the south of the town, seeming unmindful of what
had transpired at the front. An office rode up and ordered the gunners
to cease firing. The various commands of the Army were much scattered
and disorganized, but soon began to assemble in bivouac and before night
were fed by our captors.

The Confederates were gathered over and
around a large barren old field northeast of town when General Lee was
seen to return from the village accompanied by Colonel Marshall. The
whole Army rushed out to greet him and so thronged the road as to impede
his passage. There was little cheering but no dearth of tears. Some
wanted to hear a word from him, but if he spoke, I failed to catch his
words. He waved his hand; the soldiers yielded the road and he passed
on. He was very sad and perhaps could not restrain the tears. His
bearing was erect and manly as a born ruler of men. He was a superb
rider, always well mounted, but seldom rode out of a walk.

In a
few moments, General John B.Gordon, who was at the time the idol of the
Army, came along mounted upon a handsome bay mare, in a graceful canter.
His dashing manner relieved the pent up-feelings of the men and they
burst forth in wild applause. He passed through the assembled Army with
hat in hand waving in response to their greeting. That evening and night
speeches were made to the Army the best one by General Gordon.

Next
morning we marched out under arms, fronted a column of Federals who
stood in line at parade rest, stacked our guns and filed away to the
South to fight never more for Dixie.

John Pelopidas Leach
Littleton, NC 1890

Edited by *Brock Townsend from many of the author's articles.
*The author's great grandson.

PS: An additional account states:

My Great, Grandfather Private John Pelopidus Leach wrote:

"Needham
and Jack, faithful and devoted servants of my Brother Geo. T. Leach who
then commanded my company, and Capt. Richardson who was captured at
Fort Stedman, informed of the surrender, came to the front in search of
my Brother and myself. They awoke me and gave me the first information I
had of Lee's army, which I did not believe, until returning with them
past the courthouse to the bivouac of the remnant of my company I saw
the open field about the village full of straggling men, moving in
aimless fashion, artillery, ambulances and wagons gathering in parks,
many men crying, some cursing and all in pitiful distress."

"My
command stacked arms in front of the victorious federals on the 10th of
April, with one lieutenant, nine white men--all with guns-- and two
Negro servants, Needham Leach of Chatham and Jack Richardson of Johnston
County." (The Lieutenant was my great Uncle, George Thomas Leach)

"I
with Needham, a Negro servant, as my only companion turned south to my
home, Pittsboro, NC, passed through Chapel Hill and the Federal brigade
of Gen. Atkins stationed there.

At Byrnums Mill on the Haw River,
Needham and I were rowed across the stream in a bateau carrying the
family servant of Maj. London, Sr. returning home with a bag of corn
meal which he carried on the back of a mule."

"......the *sharpshooters
of the Army of Northern Virginia played an important and sometimes
pivotal role in many battles and campaigns in 1864 and 1865. Confederate
General Robert Rodes organized the first battalion of sharpshooters in
his brigade in early 1863, and later in each brigade of his
division......in the trenches of Petersburg......"

================================================================

Before
computers and when I lived in CA, I hired a NC lady to research the
body servant of my g uncle, Needham Leach forward and she found the
present day descendants of Needham! One of them lived close to me in CA
and the others are still in Pittsboro. We've visited often and met my
black Aunt Dixie who was named after my Great Aunt Dixie and a Cousin
Dixie who is still alive and kicking in Pittsboro. I could not have been
any happier. This was on my mothers side so I couldn't use my DNA and I
could not get a male to do it on the Leach side. The reason I wanted
this done was:

1. There was no slave listed in the 1860 census of Needham's age.

2. My gg grandfather would not have sent his eldest son off to war with a new, untested slave.

3.
Needham is mentioned many times in letters home and he traveled back
and forth between Virginia and NC obtaining provisions for my great
uncle and grandfather.

4. He walked home from Appomattox with my great grandfather.

5. When he was married some years later, my gg grandfather traveled a long distance to be a witness at his wedding.

Imagine a situation in which an earthquake destroys a suspension bridge over a deep canyon.

A
passenger train is speeding toward the location, and those in charge
realize there is a potential problem ahead but choose instead to argue
about the ambient temperature in the passenger cars, the food service,
and whether they will reach their final destination on time. A few
people are quite disturbed when they learn of the tragedy about to
unfold if the train isn’t halted, but they are labeled as “alarmists”
who really are not sophisticated enough to understand the situation.

Obviously,
I am referring to our nation and the impending disaster that awaits us
if we continue on a course of ever-expanding government control of our
lives, fiscal irresponsibility, unwise energy policies, and a
laissez-faire attitude regarding our world leadership responsibilities.

As most readers know, Connecticut Citizen's Defense League (CCDL) held a
rally on Saturday in defense of the Second Amendment and in opposition
to Public Act 13-3 (assault weapons ban-a misnomer as it is). By all
accounts it was well-attended by a largely armed citizenry with no
incidents, as one would expect.

In a recent post
I encouraged attendance by all who could make it, especially those in
other states in close proximity to Connecticut to show support. With or
without my encouragement, they did as I suspected they would and many
different states were represented. This is the sort of support it will
take to drive home the message to every legislature that attempts to
pass such arbitrary and illegal laws will be resisted with mutual
support.

It has come to my attention that some felt that I would be at this rally
due to my wholehearted support and several posts in which I encouraged
attendance. My pledge to go to Connecticut was not to attend this rally,
but to the greater prospect of government action against gun owners. I
sent an email to several trusted folks with that exact intent. I
apologize if some got the wrong impression of my intentions, or that I
did not make myself clear on my pledge, which stands today, but not just
for Connecticut.

Right now, in Nevada another storm is brewing with rancher Cliven Bundy.

Remembrance

To die for one’s country is not only an act of bravery, it is THE act of bravery. For soldiers, it is just an extension of their military career, a part of their duty. As leaders have asked their soldiers to sacrifice themselves for the good of the society, it is only right for leaders to go through the same motion. They should practice what they have preached.

As war is seen as a noble act, tu sat serves as redemption in case of defeat. It is also a way to tell the enemy: “You might have won the battle/war but you don’t deserve to win because you don’t have the chinh nghia (just cause).” And it is not only just cause: it is the moral belief that the cause they are fighting for deserves their total sacrifice. Continues below

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Core Creek Militia

==============================My sixth great grandfather, his wife, and five of his six children were killed in battle with the Tuscarora Indians at Core Creek, NC.

The Seven Blackbirds

==============================My third great grandfather was an Ensign in the Revolutionary War, and saved his unit's flag after being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine. He was also at Kingston (Kinston), Wilmington, Charleston, Two Sisters and Augusta. He was at the defeat at Brier Creek and also Bee Creek.

Requiem Aeternam -
Eternal Rest Grant unto Them
==============================
My second great grandfather was killed in action on May 3, 1863 at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
=============================
My great grandfather and great uncle knew all the men in the "Civil War Requiem" video as they were part of the 53rd NC which was the sole unit defending Fort Mahone. (Fort Mahone was named "Fort Damnation" by the Yankees) *Handpicked men of the 53rd (My great grandfather was one of these) made the final, night assault at Petersburg in an attempt to break Grant's line. This was against Fort Stedman which was a few miles to the slight northeast. They initially succeeded, but reinforcements drove them back. This video is made from photographs which were taken the day after the 53rd evacuated the lines the night before to begin the retreat to Appomattox. I have many more pictures taken by the same photographer, one of these shows a 14 year old boy and the other is the famous picture of the blond, handsome soldier with his musket.
===========================
*General Gordon promised the men a gold medal and 30 days leave if they accomplished their task and many years after the War my great grandfather wrote General Gordon, who was then governor of Georgia about this incident. They exchanged several letters which I have framed. See first link below.
===========================
*The Attack On Fort Stedman
============================
"His Colored Friends"
============================
Lee's Surrender
=============================
My Black NC Kinfolks
============================
Punished For Being Caught!

Great Grandfather Koonce

He was a drummer boy in the WBTS, survived the War only to die a few years later. He was caught in an ice storm on his way home, but instead of seeking shelter, continued on his horse until the end. His clothes had to be cut off and he died a few days later.